Veteran Pakistani all-rounder Shoaib Malik will make a comeback to the Fortune Barishal team on February 2nd. He had to leave the Bangladesh Premier League (BPL) last week due to prior commitments in Dubai.
According to sources, Malik has decided to rejoin the side at the request of Barishal’s captain, Tamim Iqbal. He had a conversation with Tamim about his batting position, and they agreed that he will now be batting at No.4 for Barishal instead of his previous No.6 position in earlier matches.
The 41-year-old all-rounder will play in the team’s final match of the Sylhet leg, which is against Khulna Tigers on February 3.
It must be remembered that multiple news outlets reported that Malik left the BPL amid allegations of match-fixing, citing three no-balls he bowled in a single over during a recent BPL match.
However, the franchise has emphatically denied these rumors, asserting that the all-rounder had no involvement in match-fixing. In a video message, Fortune Barisal’s owner, Mizanur Rahaman, confirmed that Malik’s departure from the BPL was due to personal reasons.
Meanwhile, Barishal is currently fifth on the points table with two wins from five games, and their next game will be crucial to stay alive in the tournament.